Volume 7, No.1
Spring 2001

Feature Articles:
The READY Retail Learning Center:
A new way of training students for tomorrow's jobs today

Women Moving Into Non-Traditional Jobs

The Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act (WARN)

Archives

Women Moving Into Non-Traditional Jobs
By: Rachael Halloran

Imagine a welder. How about a carpenter or a machinist. Did you picture a man in your mind’s eye? Most people do—and not without reason. The occupations above are currently on the U.S. Department of Labor’s list of non-traditional occupations for women. These are jobs where women comprise less than 25 percent of the workforce. This article takes a look at why there are still non-traditional jobs for women, what impact this can have on women and the rest of society and what steps are currently being taken to bring more equality to job opportunities.

First, let’s establish why this is an important issue. After all, job segregation has been an institution for a long time. Why is it now so urgent to change the status quo? Actually, there are several reasons. First, according to the Women’s Bureau of the Department of Labor, in 1999, median annual earnings for women were 72.2 percent of men’s annual earnings 1. This disparity in earnings is due, in part, to the different occupations in which men and women are employed. Non-traditional jobs for women are often better paying because they are in high-growth fields and many pay prevailing union wages 2.

HOW WOMEN BENEFIT
Many non-traditional jobs, especially technical ones, also have the advantage of short training periods, and frequent opportunities for advancement. A Women’s Guide to Technical Careers 3 is a publication, distributed by the Women Employed Institute, that introduces some of the advantages of non-traditional technical careers. None of the jobs outlined (there are over 30 in the guide) has an initial training period longer than two years, if the worker has a high school diploma or GED. In addition non-traditional jobs may have apprenticeships available which, along with on-the-job training, allow workers to earn while they learn. Many colleges and trade schools also offer comprehensive training in hopes of attracting female candidates 4.

Women may also experience an increased sense of job satisfaction in a non-traditional career. The work offered in these jobs is often interesting and challenging 5. Non-traditional jobs may allow women to exercise skills that they enjoy but previously may not have been able to utilize at the workplace. Finally, women are increasingly playing a more integral role in their family’s financial security. More women are heads of families and more families are depending on two incomes than ever before 6. Women in non-traditional jobs benefit by being able to attain economic security for their families.

PROBLEMS WOMEN ENCOUNTER
While there are many advantages to non-traditional careers for women, there may be hurdles to overcome. Employers might not want to hire women due to misconceptions about women’s abilities to perform in what have traditionally been regarded as men’s jobs. In addition, discrimination on the part of co-workers has been familiar for some of the women who have chosen non-traditional careers. Because of these drawbacks, as well as the traditional paradigm of women’s and men’s jobs being separate, some women may not fully realize that these jobs are open to them.

INITIATIVES FOR CHANGE
However, steps are being taken to rectify this situation. Using a three-pronged approach, combining elements of affirmative action, employer education and education in schools—advances are being made to overturn some of the customary barriers connected with women entering non-traditional occupations.

Affirmative action has been an important tool in introducing women to non-traditional occupations. A Department of Labor study estimated that 6 million women are in higher occupational classifications today than would have been without the affirmative action policies of the 1960s and 1970s 7. Locally, Chicago Women in Trades has conducted several studies in order to ascertain the effectiveness of programs designed to introduce women to non-traditional jobs. They have found that the primary tools in increasing the numbers of women in trades-related occupations are affirmative action goals 8. They have also discovered that the higher the goals, the higher the achievement, according to Laurie LeBreton, a policy consultant to Chicago Women in Trades9. Outside of the trades, an Illinois bank has implemented an affirmative action employee development program to expand opportunities for qualified employees. Through the program women have progressed through the ranks and earned positions in upper level management and the Board of Directors.

An integral part of making affirmative action work is education of employers and supervisors. They are the ones who guide employees to achieve their affirmative action goals. Chicago Women in Trades cites training for subcontractors as essential to preventing workplace discrimination 10. There are many types of discrimination that may be encountered in non-traditional occupations. Employer training must cover issues, such as preparing the workplace for women, preventing isolation and paternalistic treatment, providing appropriate bathroom and changing facilities and preventing sexual harassment. A secure, comfortable work environment is important to an employee’s job satisfaction no matter what the occupation.

A third strategy aimed at introducing women to non-traditional occupations is based on a plan of action implemented by Education-to-Careers programs. All states are required to have goals for preparing women for non-traditional employment through the School-to-Work Opportunities Act. These goals may be achieved through outreach to female students, career information and math and science education. There are many programs in Illinois aimed at interesting young women in non-traditional careers. The Illinois Institute of Technology, the College of DuPage and Loyola University, as well as other colleges and universities, sponsor workshops in science, engineering, and IT (information technology) careers for women. In addition, the Illinois State Board of Education conducts and aids in several programs designed to promote gender equity. For more information, visit http://www.isbe.net/equity/ or contact Cindy Zumwalt at czumwalt@isbe.net (phone: 217/782-3370).

For a complete list of non-traditional occupations for women, go to http://www.dol.gov/dol/wb/public/wb_pubs/nontra2000.htm, the United States Department of Labor’s Women’s Bureau Web site. The Work4Women project (http://www.work4women.org) offers a broad overview of the topic including common misconceptions and links to assistance in finding and maintaining a non-traditional occupation. The Illinois Department of Employment Security is another resource to assist women to transition to non-traditional careers. IDES sponsors Apprenticeship Information Centers to assist with matching one’s skills with an appropriate job. Contact them at http://www.ides.state.il.us/individual/special/women.htm or call IDES: (312) 793-3921.

1. Earnings Differences Between Women and Men. Facts on Working Women: U.S. Department of Labor Women's Bureau. <http://www.dol.gov/dol/wb/public/wb_pubs/wagegap2000.htm>.

2. Women Step up to Opportunity. Illinois Department of Employment Security. <http://www.ides.state.il.us/individual/special/women.htm>.

3. Women Employed Institute. 1997. A Women's Guide to Technical Careers. <http://womenemployed.org/publications/pubs.html>.

4. Women Step up to Opportunity. Illinois Department of Employment Security. <http://www.ides.state.il.us/individual/special/women.htm>.

5. Women Employed Institute. 1997. A Women's Guide to Technical Careers. <http://womenemployed.org/publications/pubs.html>.

6. Affirmative Action Helps Boost Women's Pay and Promotes Economic Security for Women and their Families. National Partnership Women & Families. <http://www.nationalpartnership.org/workandfamily/workplace/affirmact/aa_newwage.htm>.

7. Affirmative Action Helps Boost Women's Pay and Promotes Economic Security for Women and their Families. National Partnership Women & Families. <http://www.nationalpartnership.org/workandfamily/workplace/affirmact/aa_newwage.htm>

8. Letters, Regional Review. Lauren Sugerman. 18 September 1996. <http://www.bos.frb.org/economic/nerr/rr1996/summer/lett96_3.htm>.

9. Affirmative Action In Construction is Helping Women. Francine Knowles. 24 Jan. 1996 <http://www.depaul.edu/ethics/sun35.html>.

10. Letters, Regional Review. Lauren Sugerman. 18 September 1996. <http://www.bos.frb.org/economic/nerr/rr1996/summer/lett96_3.htm>.